The Summer They'll Never Forget
by SqueakyTheDuck
Summary: Complete! They thought their troubles were over, but it was just the beginning. Now it seems as though they've truly lost. Will they be able to get out of this? Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Okay guys, here it is. The last story in my Nightmare trilogy. I feel that the other two were kind of rushed, so I'll have to be careful not to move this one along quite as quickly.

"Yo, guys, what's up?" Jake entered Canal Street Electronics after an afternoon of dragon training. Trixie, Spud, and Rose were already there waiting for him.

"Hey, Spud," Jake said. "Wanna play 'Ooze Monster Zombies III'?" Jake reached for the video game.

"Nope, sorry, dude." Spud replied. "I'm studying up on the different types of potions **(pay attention to that line; it's important)**."

"Okay," Jake said. "I guess I could brush up on my Chinese." Jake proceeded to say a strange phrase in Chinese, but his pronunciation was a little shaky.

Rose picked up a Chinese-English dictionary off the table. Flipping through it, she said, "Jake I don't know what you were trying to say, but it came out as, uh, something about a rubber duck and a blue cow."

"So I'm having a little trouble with the pronunciation." Jake replied sheepishly. "Sue me." He paced for a few minutes, then finally sat down on the couch and picked up a book.

A while later, Jake stood up. "It's a nice day." he said. "Anybody want to go out for a while?" The others agreed, and they all left. They went to the movies, then Lomardo's Pizza.

Soon, though, they headed back to the shop. Suddenly a figure dropped down in front of them. The figure was male, and he wore a Huntsclan uniform. Seven more Huntsboys dropped down behind him.

The one in front gestured to the two directly behind him, "Stok, Beaker." The two leaped into the air and landed behind Jake and his friends.

The one addressed as Stok pulled out his Huntsstaff, clicked it to 'stun', and fired. The kids didn't have time to duck. The four friends were hit square on. The last thing Jake remembered was crying out in surprise before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Yo, guys, sorry I haven't updated in so long. I got AD: JL taken away for a week. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

His head swirled. His vision was blurred. Jake sat up slowly with one hand pressed to his head. As his vision cleared, he looked around. They were in some sort of dungeon, a blood-red 'H' symbol prominent on the bare gray walls.

"Where are we?" he asked. Trixie and Spud, who had already regained conciousness, shrugged. "This must be the Huntsman's doing!" Jake growled. He felt betrayed.

"No," Jake turned his head. He saw that Rose had now regained conciousness as well. "The Huntsman had nothing to do with this." Rose told them. "This is Rebik's work."

"Rebik?" Jake repeated. "Is that the dude who captured us?" Rose nodded. "Rebik leads a small group of rebel Huntsboys. They don't listen to the Huntsman. Rebik has always thought that he knew better."

At that moment, the cell door swung open, and the young Huntsboy strode in. "Speak of the devil…" Rose muttered. Rebik gestured to his friends, and they all came forward, surrounding Jake, Rose, Trixie, and Spud.

The Huntsboys nudged Jake and the others with their staffs. The four friends stood up. "This way." Rebik said. He turned and headed down the hall. Jake and friends were forced to follow.

"Where are we going?" Jake demanded. "Where are you taking us? Why are you even doing this?!" "Silence, dragon!" Rebik snarled. "You'll see soon enough."

They continued down the long, winding corridor. Soon they came to a stop in another room. It was different from the previous one. It was a small, windowless setting, with chains on one wall, and an assortment of weapons on another. Something about this eerie room gave Jake a bad feeling.

The two words that Rose spoke next sent a chill up Jake's spine. "Torture chamber."

**Hope you like it. Reviews are, as always, wanted.**


	3. Chapter 3

Rebik shoved his four captives into the chamber. At Rebiks nod, three of his Huntsboys grabbed Jake, Trixie, and Spud, chaining them to one wall.

Jake wondered why they left Rose unbound. His question was answered when Rebik shoved Rose to the floor, then strode over to the weapons assortment, and picked up a wicked-looking staff.

He turned and walked back over to Rose. He raised a hand in the air. Speaking loudly, he announced. "Friends…" he spoke to the Huntsboys, "and enemies," he gestured torwards Jake, Trixie, and Spud.

"You are all gathered here, to witness…" he paused preparing them for his next words. "The torture of this traitor!" he pointed an accusing finger at Rose.

"The Huntsman said that no one was to hurt her!" Jake pointed out angrily. Rebik scoffed. "The Huntsman is blinded by his compassion for his former apprentice. It's not the Huntsclan way to let a traitor go free!"

He dropped to his haunches, so that he was now at Rose's level. "Oh, don't worry, traitor." he hissed. "I won't kill you. I'll just make you _wish_ that I would!"

Tears entered Rose's eyes. But not from the inevitable pain that she knew was to come, but from the fact that her friends, the best and only friends she'd ever had, were being forced to watch.

Rebik arched his staff through the air, slashing down in Rose's leeft side. Right where she had been shot only weeks before. Jake just knew that Rebik had purposely struck there, but the bitter young Huntsboy wasn't done yet. No, he had studied the human body, knew the most sensitive nerves, the ones that would be the most painful, and he struck there. He mercilessly slahed his staff, again and again.

Rose endured it, but the pain soon overcame her. At last she fell to the floor…and didn't get up. By Huntsclan tradition, that should've been the cue to stop, but not for Rebik. No, being the rebel he was, he struck Rose once more, this time across the chest, between the shoulder blades. Then, and only then, did he stop.


	4. Chapter 4

Rebik reached inside his pocket, and withdrew a small vile filled with a glowing green substance, and tossed it on Jake. "Chlorisalium!" Spud exclaimed. "But now Jake can't use his dragon powers!"

"Well, duh," Rebik said. "I'm leaving you no escape routes. Now take them." he said to his friends.

The Huntsboys released Jake, Trixie, and Spud from the chains. Then they took their four captives back down the hall to the same dark, gloomy, gray dungeon they had been in only half an hour earlier.

At the door, the Huntsboys shoved them inside the room, and slammed the door, selaing the four friends inside.

Rose took a few unsteady steps into the room, but was too weak from the torture she had just gone through. She fell to one knee, her palms placed against the floor for balance, gasping in pain.

Jake rushed forward. He helped her over to the crude straw bed on the other side of the room. She lay still, hoping the pain would leave her soon.

Jake sat down beside her, hugging his knees to his chest. "Why did they do this to you?" he said sorrowfully. "Why didn't they come after me? _I'm_ the dragon."

"It wasn't you…they were after." Rose gasped. "They just wanted…to make…the traitor…pay."

It wasn't long before Rose, overcome by the pain, lost conciousness. Spud reached forward to check her pulse, but yelped when he moved his right hand.

Jake looked up. "What's wrong, Spud?" he asked. "I think I sprained my wrist when I landed on the floor after being thrown in here." Spud answered. "It's not important, though." he added. "We have to help Rose right now."

Jake pulled of his red jacket, and fastened it into a makeshift sling. He put it around Spud's arm, then went back over to Rose.

The minutes seemed like hours as Rose drifted in and out of conciousness. As the straw beneath her grew redder, Spud said, "She's losing blood fast. If we don't do something to stop the bleeding, she—she may not wake up."

Without a second thought, Jake pulled off his white undershirt, and using only his human strength, tore it into strips of white cloth, and wrapped it around Rose's various wounds.

The night wore on, growing colder, the light from the full moon shining through the window set high in the wall—too high to climb. And without his dragon powers, Jake couldn't fly up to it either. They were trapped here. It seemed that they had truly lost.

**Yikes! Things aren't looking good for Jake and his friends. But they're about to get help from an unlikely source…**


	5. Chapter 5

As midnight drew nearer, the New York air grew colder. The chill wind whipped against Jake's bare chest, but he paid no heed. Right now his only thought was Rose.

She had now been unconcious for three hours. Jake knew the longer she was in a coma, the more chance there was that wouldn't survive.

Jake, Trixie, and Spud had all been silent for the longest time. There was nothing to say, but they shared the same thought: they had to escape, and soon.

The door rattled. The three friends instinctively formed a protective half-circle around the wounded Rose.

The door opened, and a figure stepped inside the cell. He was hidden in shadow, but his silhouette was that of a tall, muscular man.

The Huntsman stepped into the light, and Jake clenched his fists, ready to defend his friends.

The Huntsman walked right past them. He dropped to one knee beside Rose, and shook his head grimly.

He stood up and turned to Jake. "You have to get her out of here." he told the young dragon. He handed Jake a vile filled with blue liquid. "What's this?" Jake asked.

"Linoreum." the Huntsman answered. "Tastes awful, but it'll cancel the affects of the chlorisalium. You'll get your powers back."

Jake looked skeptically at he potion. "How do I know this isn't a trap?" he said dubiously. Spud plucked the vile from Jake's hand. He shook it, examining its thickness. Then he sniffed it.

"This is linoreum, alright." Spud assured his friend. "I remember studying about it earlier **(told you that was important)**."

Jake tipped the vile back, and drank the liquid. A sour expression came onto his face, one that, at any other time, would've made Trixie and Spud laugh. But right now, escape was their main focus.

Jake dragoned up, then gently lifted Rose into his arms. He bent down, and Trixie and Spud climbed onto his back. Jake flew torwards the door.

The Huntsman blocked his path. "No," he said. "You run the risk of a guard seeing you. Take the window."

Jake flew up to the window. In a surge of determination, he ripped the unicorn horn-enforced bars away using his dragon teeth.

The Huntsman watched as the American Dragon flew into the night. He knew rose would be safe. Now to deal with Rebik.


	6. Chapter 6

Clouds had washed over the full moon. Jake flew through the pitch darkness, guided only by instinct. An hour passed. Jake wondered if he was on the right path.

Just as he was about to give up, he saw the familiar light from the windows of the shop. Never before had it seemed so welcoming.

He flew inside to find Gramps pacing the floor. Lao Shi looked up. "Ai-yah! Jake, where have you…" his voice trailed off when he saw Rose. "What happened?!"

Jake gritted his teeth. "A Huntsboy named Rebik did this. He said that it wasn't the Huntsclan way to let a traitor go free."

Jake lay Rose on the couch. For hours he waited as Gramps and Fu bandaged Rose's wounds. At last, Fu came over to Jake. He put a paw on Jake's arm.

"We've done all we can." the shar-pei said. "But the wounds are deep, and she's lost a lot of blood. We're not sure…" he stopped. When he spoke again it was softer. "We're not sure…if she's going to make it."

"No." Jake whispered. He put his head in his hands. For a moment there was silence. Then Trixie and Spud saw Jake shaking. Then they realized: Jake was crying. Their friend, the cocky, overconfident, always-trying-to-be-cool Jake, was crying.

Trixie put a hand on Jake's shoulder. "Jake…" He pulled away, and turned from them. Trixie and Spud exchanged worried glances. "Jake, please." Trixie said.

"This is all my fault." Jake sobbed. "If I hadn't dragoned up in Central Park that day, none of this would have ever happened."

"Jake you don't know that." Gramps said. "You and Rose couldn't have kept your relationship hidden forever. The Huntsman was bound to find out soon."

This didn't make Jake feel any better. In his eyes, he had caused it, and now Rose was close to…Jake couldn't continue that thought. He couldn't bear the idea of losing her.

Suddenly Jake heard a weak voice behind him. "Jake?" He spun around and saw that Rose had regained conciousness. "Rose." he whispered, as if afraid to speak to loudly, for fear this was an illusion.

Rose looked around the room. "How did we escape?" she asked. "It was the Huntsman." Jake replied. "He rescued us."

Rose turned torwards Jake slightly, only slighty, but the pain ripped through her body once again. She lay still, and took a deep breath.

"The Huntsman?" she echoed. "But…why would he help _you_?" "It seemed to me," Jake responded. "That he was more intent on helping you."

As Jake talked to Rose, he saw that she could barely keep her eyes open. "Hey, Rose." he said. "I can tell that you're tired. Don't fight it. Get some sleep."

Sleep came over her like a soft blanket, and as Rose drifted off, she heard Jake mutter, "You certainly deserve it after all you've been through."


	7. Chapter 7

Jake sighed as he watched Rose sleep. So much had happened in the past three months, and Jake still felt responsible for it.

"She'll sleep for a few days now. There's nothing more you can do." Jake jumped when he heard the Huntsman's voice. He turned and saw that the Huntsman had entered the shop. He barely kept from dragoning up, before remembering that the Huntsman was on their side now.

Jake relaxed. "Do you think she'll be okay?" he asked. The Huntsman nodded. "Rose has always been strong, in more ways than one."

"I feel responsible for all of this." Jake admitted. "I should've known not to dragon up around Rose. If I hadn't done that, then maybe none of this would have happened." Jake spoke with a sadness in his voice, all the while never taking his eyes off the sleeping Rose.

The Huntsman placed his hand on Jake's shoulder. Jake didn't flinch, which surprised both of them. "This wasn't your fault, Jake." he said. "I was sure to learn of her betrayal soon, and these events still would've happened, only later. But she'll be alright. She just needs rest."

The Huntsman left the room, and Jake thought about his former enemie's words. Then he realized something: The Huntsman hadn't called him 'dragon', he'd called him Jake.

**Sorry this chapter was so short guys, but still, I hope you like it.**


	8. Chapter 8

When Rose awoke, she glanced around. It was late afternoon, judging by the light coming in from the window, and there were only two others in the room. Jake, asleep in a chair nearby, his chin propped on his fist, and Adam, who was staring out the window.

Adam had allowed his thoughts to wander as he stared out into the city. When Rose stirred, Adam turned, and strode over to her.

"Hey Rose," he said gently. "You sleep well?" Rose nodded. "That's good." Adam said. He reached down and pushed a loose strand of Rose's hair behind her ear. "You must've been pretty tired, too." he added.

Rose gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?" she asked. "I mean," Adam replied. "that you've been sleeping for four days."

Rose blinked several times, partly to fully awaken herself, and partly in disbelief at what her brother had just said.

She glanced around the room again. "Where's everyone else?" she asked. "Lao Shi and Fu Dog went to Magus Bazzar on an errand," Adam answered. "Trixie and Spud are in the back room, the Huntsman, well, I'm not sure where he went, but he said something about dispensing justice. And, whether they liked it or not, Mom and Dad had to go back to work."

Adam looked over at Jake. "You know," he told Rose. "You're lucky to have a friend like Jake. He hasn't left your side once since you were hurt."

A few hours later, everyone was back at the shop, talking and laughing. Rose smiled. It would be a few more weeks before she could even get up, but she was content. She had her family, friends, and now even the Huntsman as an ally. She was among friends now, and everything was alright. That thought went with her as she again fell intot that peaceful world of sleep.

**Yes, this is the end of the story, and the trilogy. But I will be writing more fanfics soon.**


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